Paradox Ending: Hope's Graveside
by Mylaervain
Summary: This paradox ending was inspired by A New Hope by Broken Iris and the Paradox Ending: The Future is Hope. Lightning visits Hope's grave.


**I was listening to a song by Broken Iris, and while I haven't really been able to focus on my other fics, I wanted to post this short. **

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**_To your grave I spoke_**  
**_Holding a red, red rose_**  
**_Gust of freezing cold air_**  
**_Whispers to me that you are gone_**

Bhunivelze, 400 AF.

Alyssa Zaidell succeeded in the assassination of Hope Estheim. The reason Lightning didn't care to know, but given who she was, she wasn't spared the knowledge The effects through time didn't show right away, but to those that understood what his death meant knew exactly what they were watching.

The timeline was slowly marching towards the oblivion of humanity. Nobody was able to fill Hope's shoes as Director of the Academy without his updated research. The renown reputation as center of research and advancements eventually became a mockery to the people of Academia.

Alyssa was tried for her crime, against Hope as an individual and against humanity and was properly executed for what she done. The reason she gave for destroying the future... The preservation for her own existence ironically failed to serve her. She was put to death. That wouldn't be enough to ease the pain, but it was a start...

_To your grave I spoke  
__Holding a red, red rose  
__Gust of freezing cold air  
__Whispers to me that you are gone_

The wind gently blew, along with it a few strands of pink hair swayed in the breeze. Lightning stood before Hope's grave staring at it. She could only wish that she had been able to return in his lifetime. To get the chance to find out where their feelings for the other would have taken them. She recalled watching Hope's determination to free the three of them from Valhalla or Crystal stasis. She started to feel an attraction for the man that he'd become. She was aware that absence and maturing had caused Hope to feel at least the starts of romantic feelings towards her.

Now she and the world would never know. That possibility taken away with one shot of a bullet. He was gone, as with the goddess. If it weren't for the fact that Serah was still alive, she would have no reason to remain awake. Serah needed her sister just as much as she needed Snow.

_To your grave I spoke_  
_Holding a red, red rose_  
_Gust of freezing cold air_  
_Whispers to me you're gone_

"This would be just our luck wouldn't it?" she asked the marble headstone that beared Hope's name. It was something simple, not ostentatious as the world would have liked. Those who knew Hope the best knew that he would have preferred it that way. Something simple, something that got the job done.

The woman shook her head, looking to the soil beneath her feet. "There have always been some sort of barrier that prevents us from being together. I know you can't answer, but it is... I don't know how to word what I want to say. You know me, I am not great at the communication thing. I am sorry."

_To your grave I spoke_  
_Holding a red, red rose_  
_Gust of freezing cold air_  
_Whispers to me you're gone_

The late afternoon sky didn't have any sort of reply as the former warrior of the goddess Etro sat down. She remained quiet while she sat cross legged. Her cheeks felt damp, tears started to fall from her eyes while Light tried not to cry. The world void of time wasn't going to be easy for her without Hope. "Know that nobody will come close to replacing you..."

Serah joined Light, sitting down and letting the silence continue for a short bit. Snow wasn't too far behind, watching for monsters. After about five minutes of sitting in silence, Serah offered Light a pastry to eat. "You have been out here for quite a while. You should eat something."

Light didn't look at Serah, but she had accepted the food. Took a few minutes before she started to eat it. Subtle facial expressions shown Serah that Light enjoyed the flavor of it.

"I miss him too, sis." Serah spoke, to break the silence. "A part of me won't accept that he's dead. The evidence is right there in front of us, but it feels like a part of him is still alive."

Light finally looked at the younger sister, not able to say anything, but her eyes shown it all. Then she looked down again and sighed before she shook her head. "He needed me, and I wasn't there for him. I promised that I would protect him, and..."

"You can't blame yourself for that, Light." Serah spoke, gently. "It's not your fault that he's gone. Nobody else could have done what you were doing in Valhalla. Caius managed to find a weakness to exploit. Otherwise, it's my fault too."

"I know," Lightning replied, turning to Serah once more. "I know we all were fighting for the future, I just should have been..."

Serah had interrupted even though she knew Light would continue to beat herself up over this, she wanted to try to make her feel better. Even if it lasted for a little while. "We all know the risk to our lives when we chose to take up this fight. Hope would have done more for us if he could. He knew Caius would be likely to try to stop him. Hope thought the risk was worth trying to save the future. He wouldn't have blamed you."

It was hard to tell if Light had taken any of the words to heart, but her logical side thought they made sense. It didn't change anything, and all the sniffles in the world wouldn't change the truth in front of her. She wiped away her tears and stood up. Bottling her emotions so the public wouldn't know about it. Her feelings were none of their business.

"Maybe your right," Light said as she held her hand to aid Serah in standing. "Regardless, I owe it to him to keep going. He didn't fight for us only to have us stop. I just... would rather have done it with him here."

Serah accepted the help while Snow made his way over towards the sisters. "Just remember that. We still have each-other and that is something. If we keep hope alive in our hearts, then Hope really isn't gone."

Light didn't say anything about that comment, but walked towards the car to take them home. It was starting to grow dark, and that's when the more dangerous monsters come out. Monsters that she would rather keep what's left of her family safely away from, and that means getting home.

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**I would like to thank you for reading, and for any future reviews or comments that this will receive. As of this time, I am not sure if I will make this into another story. Depends on the requests for continuation and inspiration. I might also just post other drabbles into this story theme.**

**For now, it depends on what my activity is like on here, and the usual**

**Enjoy your day,**

**Mylaervain**


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